Roof systems typically comprise a roof deck system utilized to support a roof membrane such as shingles. The roof deck system of a commercial building is typically comprised of a metal deck such as a sheet of corrugated steel mounted on a roof deck support structure such as steel or wooden roof beams. The metal deck supports insulation that, in turn, supports a wood member such as oriented strand board (“OSB”) or plywood. This wood member provides the support surface for the roof membrane. A problem found with such prior art roof deck systems is that heat and moisture tend to penetrate into the wood member and, as a result of inadequate ventilation, the wood member deteriorates thereby causing premature failure of the roof membrane.
In response to this problem, an improvement to roof deck systems has been the incorporation of a venting system within the roof deck system that removes moisture and excess heat from the wood member. In this system, spacers are placed between the above described wood member and insulation, to form channels that preferable open along the roof ridge and eaves to allow air to flow freely between the wood member and the insulation. Proper ventilation provides a mechanism for maintaining the roof decking and roof membrane in good condition without moving parts or energy consumption.
One problem with this improvement is that there are no uniform vented eave designs. As a result, architects, engineers, and builders must perform custom designs that are on-site labor intensive, causing a significant increase in construction expense. The on-site nature of the design and construction of conventional vented eave systems reduces the quality of the finished product because it is not manufactured under controlled conditions. In addition to difficulties associated with construction, conventional vented eaves have not been designed to provide stable support for gutters, finished fascia material, soffit panels, and other components of roof deck perimeters. Conventional vented eaves also make use of wood building materials, and thus suffer problems inherent with such materials such as rotting, warping, burning, shrinking, and being subject to attack by termites. Further, steel angles used for roof deck support cause the deck to slope slightly upwards at the roof edge, thereby causing a “ski slope condition” which results in the finished roof surface being out of plane.
From the foregoing it may be seen that heretofore, no one has adequately provided a structural vent assembly for use along the perimeter of a roof with a vented roof deck. A need exists for a structural vent assembly that is easy to install and eliminates the need for expensive, complicated, and field labor intensive custom design procedures, as well as provides stable structural support for components of roof deck perimeters. Accordingly, there is a need for a uniform structural vent assembly that overcomes the limitations of prior art eave vent assemblies.